To Become A Pirate
by Ana26
Summary: A girl looking for a new life leaves for Port Royal. But you can't fight destiny, and when she is in danger will a familiar captain that we all love be able to save her? And what will happen then?
1. A New Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any characters or settings related to it. I do, however, own any original characters in this story.

Author's Note: This is my first POTC fan fic, so please R & R! I can take constructive flames. Please tell me what you think! And also, I will try to keep on updating regularly, and I don't plan on abandoning this story, or any other that I write. Ok, now enjoy!

**Chapter One**

A New Beginning

It was a cold, pale morning in mid April. In the city of Nassau, in the Caribbean, a ship was setting sail and leaving the docks behind. _The Blue Mermaid_, as this ship was called, had begun its journey towards Port Royal.

The ship was big and bulky, a merchant ship. It was painted blue, with a lovely mermaid on the edge of the stern. A fancy scripted sign – _The Blue Mermaid, 1683 _was under her curved tail. The ship was quite old – 11 years old, in fact – and had a sort of teetering, rusty quality about it. The sails were an old dirty white, quite huge. On the main mast, at the top, was a proud British flag, swaying in the wind. The ship carried a few passengers, as well as chocolate, sugar, gunpowder, gold, and other cargo.

One of these passengers was leaning on the wooden railing, feeling the bent nails under her fingers and hearing the sailors calling out, "Anchors away!" as the ship began its route to Port Royal.

She was a young girl of sixteen, with creamy skin, graceful fingers, pale lips and long, fair, dirty-blond hair. Her eyes were chocolate brown and her complexion was angelic.

She was wearing a scruffy white dress made of an old bedspread. She wasn't wearing a corset underneath it, though. Her near perfect figure didn't need it.

The girl turned her head as a familiar voice called her name: "Raquelle! Raquelle! Where are you?" It was her mother.

"I'm over here, mother!" Raquelle cried, laughing. Her mother was so careless sometimes.

"Oh! Hello, darling," Raquelle's mother said as she approached her. She was a tall woman, with Raquelle's features, only more wrinkled with age. She pulled her into a hug and Raquelle breathed in the familiar scent of jasmines.

"Mmmm," Raquelle's mother moaned softly. "I can't wait to arrive in Port Royal. It's a new life, Raquelle. A new beginning." Raquelle nodded slightly. The reason her mother and her were even on this ship was that recently they had received news of Raquelle's father's death. Her mother refused to talk about it, and Raquelle knew nothing about her father's death, or even her father himself! He had visited her only once, twelve years ago, and she couldn't remember anything from that period. All she knew was that he had been a sailor.

Sighing, Raquelle let go of her mother and smiled shyly. "I think I'll take a stroll around the deck," she said as she turned to explore the quarterdeck.

The captain's quarters were to the right, and the ancient oak wheel was in the middle of the upper quarterdeck, being steered by the bored second mate, a scruffy thirty-something blonde. Near the steering wheel was a small flight of steps that led down to the passenger's cabins. Raquelle took these steps and looked for her room, which she had been told was the third one towards the end of the dim corridor.

She stumbled into her room, which was exactly as she has imagined it: small, smelly, and damp. Raquelle sighed and lay down on the bed, silently counting the cracks in the old ceiling.

When she had reached fifty-two cracks, the door opened unexpectedly, and a buff, tan man walked into the room.

Raquelle sat up, surprised, and the man (who she now noticed was carrying her and her mother's trunks) grinned at her, revealing several missing teeth and few gold ones.

"'Ere's yer trunk, miss. 'Ope you 'ave a pleasant journey."

Raquelle tried to conceal a face of disgust. But before the man turned to leave, she asked the question that had been brimming in her head for most of the morning: "When are we arriving in Port Royal?"

The sailor eyed her curiously and replied, "About three weeks if we make good time, I should 'ope so, miss."

Raquelle nodded briefly and the man left the room. She flopped down on the bed once again. It was going to be a long journey.

Three days into the journey (and several complaints later), Raquelle was taking her usual stroll around the ship.

Traditionally, she would start out from her cabin, go past the captain's quarters, through the main deck, down the central hatch in the middle to the galley, where she would request a cup of tea which was usually tasteless and accompanied by two mouldy biscuits. Then, Raquelle would go past the galley, the cargo hold, and the brig to the crew's rooms. There she would stay near the door for a while, watching while handsome and ugly sailors walked past, occasionally smiling or winking at her. Then she would go back up the central hatch and lean on the ship railing to watch the sunset, as bells rang and sailors worked all around her, climbing the ratlines or the main mast, fixing broken things or doing their watches. It was so peaceful, so calm.

But three days of the same thing was starting to bore Raquelle, and she decided that today she would go somewhere new. Instead of exploring the ship, she simply left her room and knocked on the door next to hers.

She didn't really know what she was doing, but she felt an urge to meet new people and make friends. She couldn't stand to be alone while her mother napped in her room a moment longer.

She waited patiently until the door opened. A middle-aged woman with flecked white hair answered it. She looked annoyed and restless. Her eyes stirred with anger.

"I was taking my afternoon nap. How can I help you?" she asked sternly.

Raquelle blushed in embarrassment. "I…I…I just…wanted to meet my…er…neighbour. I'm sorry to bother you." she added hastily, gave a small curtsy, and moved on to the next few doors.

The second door she knocked on had no answer, but the third one did. A tall, thin girl about her age answered. "Yes?" she inquired in a confident voice.

The girl had striking grey eyes and long, unkept brown hair. She was wearing a satin blue dress that Raquelle would have died for and a white lace bonnet was in her hand.

Raquelle mustered up the strength to say, "Oh, hello. My name's Raquelle. My room's over there," she pointed, signalling her door, "and I was just in the mood for meeting the other passengers on this ship."

The girl's eyebrows raised slightly and she looked amused. Raquelle was unsure if this was a compliment or an insult.

"I'm Bethany," the girl said loudly. Raquelle nodded and there was a short silence, broken by Bethany herself: "So, d'you want to go for a stroll and grab some rum—er, tea?" she asked.

Raquelle frowned. There was something peculiar about Bethany. _Rum_?

"But of course," Raquelle replied, smiling. Maybe this could become a new friendship.

The two girls climbed up the stairs to the quarterdeck and both leaned on the railing for a while. There was a peaceful serenity about the calm blue waves that rippled in the ocean, stretched out endlessly all around them.

"So, why are you going to Port Royal" Raquelle asked Bethany.

Bethany just sighed. "Do you _have_ to talk all the time?" she replied, rather rudely. Raquelle was taken aback, and fell silent.

Bethany just smiled slightly and after a while she said, "I'm going to visit my aunts. I might stay there for a while."

Raquelle expected Bethany to ask her why she was going, too, but she didn't, and so once again Raquelle fell silent.

"Come, now. Let us go down to the galley and drink some good ol' tea," Bethany said suddenly, grabbing Raquelle by the hand.

They hurried down the hatch past several sailors who stopped working to glance at the beautiful ladies who were in such a hurry.

Bethany broke out in laughter when Raquelle tripped on the stairs and fell flat on her face, to the amusement of all the on-looking sailors. As Raquelle's cheeks flushed deep red, Bethany fell to the ground beside her, clutching her sides in laughter. Raquelle glared at her and tried to get up, but she ended up, again, sprawled on the floor.

Raquelle was red from embarrassment, and Bethany was purple from laughter. Raquelle thought about it: she could sulk and be embarrassed, or…she could be like Bethany. Carefree. Enjoying life. So Raquelle did something she had been sure she would never do: she laughed at herself. It was like something had clicked.

From that moment on, Raquelle and Bethany became extremely close friends. Raquelle liked how spontaneous and adventurous Bethany was, with an added element of mystery. And although she tended to be blunt, she had a great knowledge of sailing and navigation. At daytime, she would show Raquelle how the ship worked and what sort of things the sailors were doing, and at night they would spent hours talking, with Bethany pointing out the constellations in the night sky and how they helped determine where the ship was going. It was perfect.

Bethany also brought out the crazy, wild side of Raquelle, and over the next week, they stole food from the galleys (the good-tasting jar of biscuits the cook was keeping in secret), flirted with sailors, told incredible stories, sung songs, and waved at passing ships. The journey so far had been incredibly peaceful and fun.

But despite all the laughter and fun, something felt wrong to Raquelle. Missing. While Raquelle had shared tons about her own life and dreams, she knew almost nothing about Bethany. She had asked her about her family, but once Bethany had curtly mentioned her mother and father were both dead, she had dropped the subject. Still, Bethany never really told Raquelle anything. It was mysterious and often quite annoying.


	2. The Captive

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean (except for the DVD, soundtrack, computer game, and the huge Johnny Depp poster hanging above my bed)!

Author's Note: K, everyone, here is chapter two! Sorry it took so long. Enjoy and REVIEW please!

**Chapter Two**

The Captive

A fine sunny morning, midway through the trip, Raquelle and Bethany were simply lounging out on the main deck, chatting animatedly amongst themselves and passing sailors. There was a fine breeze blowing, the sails were widely spread, and the flag waved merrily in the wind.

Bethany was the one who noticed it first. She had just been smiling at the buff first mate, when her grey eyes went wide and she nudged her friend, "Look, Raquelle! Look!" she said, like an excited child who has just made a discovery. "A ship!" she winked. Another waving/flirting opportunity!

Raquelle squinted. Sure enough, in the far distance was a black blurry shape, coming closer and closer.

As this new ship approached them, the girls noticed the flag of the neutral country of Holland and breathed relief. It was not a Spanish ship, which might have caused some trouble.

"Ahoy there!" cried Bethany, removing her bonnet from her head and waving it broadly. Raquelle soon joined in, her long fingers moving perfectly as she tried to catch their attention.

The Dutch ship was smaller than the Blue Mermaid, but it had bigger sails. No one was visibly on the deck. Something was wrong.

AS the ship came closer, bulging and thrashing against the waves, the girls' smiles disappeared. Where was everyone? Was it a ghost ship? But when it was only about fifty meters away, the girls finally saw two men. But they seemed to be working at something.

And slowly the bright dutch flag at the main mast in the ship was lowered. Raquelle frowned at Bethany, who looked just as confused as she was. What was going on?

Then suddenly Bethany's misty eyes became clear, and she understood.

"It's a trick!" she cried, "It's a trick!" Raquelle was still confused, "What on earth?" Bethany shook her head, her eyes wide. "Pirates!" she said, agonized.

And sure enough, another flag was being raised. A black flag, with a white skull and two bones crossed underneath it – the Jolly Roger. The flag was quickly raised, and it sat above the main mast, the skull grinning wickedly. Men started shouting on both ships. And now, now Raquelle saw men; ugly, scabbed men, with red cloths on their heads, rags for clothing, cutlasses at their sides. Terror filled her heart.

She had heard stories of pirates and their wickedness back in Nassau, but having never come across one, she simply assumed they were a legend, a warning to scare people from going to sea. How could this be happening now? When she was so, so close to her new home and her new life?

Raquelle gasped for air. The pirates leered back at her, their ship so close she knew that it was only a matter of minutes before they would board it and all would come to a drastic end.

Then Bethany's hand gripped hers, jolting her back to her senses.

"Come on!" she yelled, pulling a very dazed Raquelle along. "Here are we going? What can we do? All is lost!" Raquelle cried, but Bethany shook her head confidentally and said, "No, 'tis not. Follow me, quick."

The girls tore down the quarterdeck, climbing the steps down to their cabins. Bethany had an odd gleam in her eye, like she was desperate to save herself, somehow.

She burst open the door to her room and unlocked an old drawer with a silver key. She pulled an old sack out of it, throwing it to Raquelle. "Here," she said quickly, "Empty out this bag. Hurry!" Bethnay continued to search her room for something while Raquelle emptied out the bag, her eyes wide. Inside she found a cutlass, a dagger, and an old pistol. She touched the weapons gingerly, her face pale with terror. "What on earth is this, Beth?" she cried hoarsely.

Bethany just rolled her eyes and said, "C'mon, ye scallywag. Just follow me lead." Raquelle's brain raced in confusion. Why was Bethany, her friend Bethany, using words like 'scallywag'? Why was there a cutlass in her bag?

Raquelle watched as Bethany tore her beautiful dress from her body and stood in her bare bodice. Bethany sighed, muttering, "Thank goodness I've gotten rid of that bloody thing." Raquelle's confusion doubled as Bethany pulled on another outfit that had been hidden under her bed: a loose white blouse with fluffy cuffs, and a pair of old trousers, held up by a long black belt. It was the sort of thing Raquelle wouldn't be caught dead in, and more of a male outfit than anything else.

Above their heads the girls could hear screams, running, blades crossing, bodies falling to the ground, and general chaos.

Bethany's tone became more urgent, "C'mon. Stay behind me and if you see anything, yell." She put the dagger in the inside of one of her leather boots, put the pistol on her belt, and held the cutlass out in front of her, ready to attack.

Slowly, Bethany opened the door, stepping out quietly, her cutlass still poised and ready for action. There seemed to be no one around. Then the sounds of three men laughing reached the girls' ears, as the men came around a corner, from the direction of the powder magazine. Bethany guessed their evil plan immediately, and quick as lightening, she pulled out her pistol and shot the first pirate to come around the corner…Raquelle screamed first pirate to come around the corner. Raquelle screamed as the man hit the ground, dead of a bullet in his heart.

Bethany replaced her pistol and lunged at the two men with her cutlass. She fought fearlessly, skilfully wielding her way in and out between the two pirates as Raquelle gasped and screamed in the background.

Bethany dodged and lunged at all the right moments, and within minutes the first man had retreated, wounded in his left shoulder.

Bethany continued to swordfight with the other man, but she yelled to Raquelle over her shoulder, "Raquelle! Hurry above deck and jump! The ship is going to explode!"

Raquelle's eyes bulged as she digested the information. She was paralyzed, so terrified she couldn't move.

"Run, Raquelle, run!" Bethany's piercing cry made Raquelle climb up the ladder quickly, tears prickling her eyes. And where was her mother? She stepped out to the quarterdeck and screamed.

There was no one else left except a pile of dead bodies covered in blood, scattered around the ship. Raquelle recognized her mother's lilac dressed from as one of them. She felt pure hatred surge through her veins.

Then she heard the constant blade crossing noise underneath her cease, and a moment later Bethany appeared, exhausted but unharmed.

"C'mon!" she cried for the third time, jumping off the edge of the ship and landing in the serene waves below.

Raquelle hesitated for a moment, then jumped in after her friend, just as the ship exploded grandly behind her, and in a matter of seconds _the Blue Mermaid_ had disappeared under the waves. Pieces of blue wood scattered all around and the once proud British flag was now flimsy and defeated, floating lightly above the water.

Raquelle had plunged underneath the water, but now she resurfaced, gasping for air and despairing. Bethany was by her side, equally worried, but still more confident.

As the two girls kicked the water to remain above the surface, they noticed the pirate ship was still there, in all its cruelty and malice. But now a jolly boat was being lowered from the main deck, and there were several pirates in it, leering at the girls as the boat steered towards them.

The girls began to swim desperately in the opposite direction, but the jolly boat was faster than them. In a few minutes, Bethany heard a scream behind her as the men grabbed Raquelle and pulled her from the water into the boat.

A while later Bethany felt two pairs of strong, rough hands grab her under the arms and lift her up into the jolly boat.

Bethany did not scream, but she twisted and turned, attempting to resist but failing. She glared at the pirates as they laughed and teased her.

A particularly tall, gangly pirate with an old eye patch noticed her pistol and her cutlass and disarmed her straight away. "This one's a fighter,. Eh?" he said, and the men laughed stupidly. "Well, yer fightin' days are over, lass. Ye be a brig rat dead fer sure, if ye try 'n fight us. Ye see, love," he said, stroking Bethany's chin with grimy hands. She flinched away. He was missing two fingers. "'Ere we don' have no mercy." He finished, grinning stupidly. Bethany continued to glare at him, not saying a word.

At the other end of the boat, Raquelle was wriggling helplessly, tring to avoid the pirates' groping hands, which were going for anything they could grab.

After a while, the boat reached the ship and was raised to the main deck.

As the men piled out of the boat, grabbing the girls tightly, a big bald man with a hideous mustache, wearing a leather vest and puffy trousers, walked out to meet his new "guests".

The girls wriggled and squirmed, trying to break free of the mens' grasps, but it was usless. The mustached man laughed as he approached them. He smelled faintly of mould and rum.

"Come, come, me beauties, why the struggle?" he asked, grinning. The girls (or rather, Bethany) continued to glare at him. He seemed to ignore this and bowed slightly, saying, "Welcome aboard _the Captive_. 'O course, ye be th' new captives. I be Cap'n Johnson. What be yer name, maid?" he asked, addressing Raquelle with amusement in his eyes.

Raquelle was angry and afraid at the same time, but she managed to whimper, "Raquelle." Then, before the man could move on to pester Bethany, she cried out, "Why did you kill the others and not us? What use are we to you?"

Johnson smiled wickedly. "Why, us men need a little ol' fun, me darlin'. And you address me as Captain Johnson. Savvy?" Raquelle nodded weakly.

Satisfied, Johnson moved over to Bethany. "And ye, love?"

Bethany fought the temptation to spit in his face, and remained confident, her chest puffed out as she faced him. "I be Maria," she pronounced.

Raquelle frowned. How was a fake name going to help them now?

"Aye, Maria," said Johnson smugly, "We 'ope ye be havin' a good time aboard _the Captive_." Then he turned to the men holding the girls and commanded, "Lock 'em in the brig, and meet me in me office. Split-quick!"


	3. Maria

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any characters or settings related to it. I do, however, own any original characters in this story.

Author's Note: Ok, it's updated, everyone! Sorry it took so long, but there was Spring Break, and all. Hope you enjoy the chapter! By the way, _The Captive_ is NOT a ghost ship! It is simply a pirate ship! Hope that's cleared up now.

**Chapter Three**

Maria

The men hurried along, down a hatch in the deck, bringing the girls with them. The girls were silent, trying to communicate through looks.

The men dragged them along a series of dark corridors, finally coming to the brig, where they locked each girl in a separate metal bar cell. They laughed one more time at them, then headed back the way they had come.

They had left a small candle in each cell, but the light was fading fast and the girls could barely make out their meagre surroundings. They were both silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Then Raquelle spoke up, breaking the silence: "So, are you going to begin explaining to me what the last few hours have been about, or am I to sit here, confused and grieving?" she asked Bethany.

Bethany sighed, "Well, where d'ye want me to begin?" she asked. Raquelle leaned on the metal grids that shut off the cell and suggested, "How about why you had a cutlass in that bag? Or where you learned to fight like that? Or why you told the pirates your name was Maria?"

Bethany took a deep breath. "Well, first o' all, me name's not Bethany. It's Maria. I be not what you think I am. I'm not noble, and I'm not going to Port Royal to visit me Aunties. I've been sailing them waters for years. I learned to fight and all about ships n' sailing. Ye know, I'm only telling ye this 'cause yer me friend. The only friend I've 'ad in a long time. Ah, to blazes with it! I'm a bit of a pirate, me self. O' course, I follow me own set 'o rules. I sail from ship to ship, taking what I can get me hands on. It's not an easy life." Raquelle was speechless. How could this be Bethany, her friend? The girl that stood before her in the other cell, Maria, was very different from Bethany, the girl she had met a few weeks ago on the Blue Mermaid. Raquelle shook her head, thinking. After a tense moment Bethany—or rather, Maria—said, "Raquelle? I just wanted to tell ye…I'm sorry. I really am." Raquelle nodded silently. She didn't doubt Maria, but she was a pirate! How could things ever be the same again?

An hour later still none of the girls had spoken. They could hear laughter and ship-work from above. Raquelle groaned as the candle in her went flickered out. She was hungry and now cold. The deathly silence dragged out more, but suddenly Raquelle turned to the dim light in the other cell and asked, "But why were you going to Port Royal, then? And why did you lie?"

"Well, they wouldn't have let me on the ship if the knew who I be, now would they? And I was going to Port to, just…..oh, you know…." Maria said dismissively. But of course there was an actual reason, and they both knew it. Maria swallowed and reached inside one of her pockets. She pulled her hand out and opened it, revealing as much as she could to Raquelle. In Maria's palm Raquelle could vaguely make out a string necklace with a large wooden fang attached to it.

"This was my father's," Maria said, using a tone Raquelle had never heard from her before. It was tearful and lonely. Raquelle nodded in the darkness, completely sympathizing with Maria. "I know what it's like," she said, trying to reassure Maria, "My father died recently. I never even knew him properly." Maria nodded, but she was lost in her own thoughts. Raquelle decided not to press the matter, such as asking what Maria's father had to do with Port Royal.

Silence reigned again in the brig for a long time. Raquelle tried to settle down and maybe sleep, but her cell was dark, damp, and about as comfortable as a cactus plant. She could hear Maria shifting in her cell, but she decided to remain silent. What was there to say, anyway?

After what seemed like years, one of the pirates came down to the brig, lit another candle for Raquelle, and shoved what seemed like an old slice of rock-hard bread through the metal bars, one slice for each girl.

Maria seemed to be asleep, but Raquelle did her best to try and eat her bread slice. She nearly broke her teeth in the effort, but at least she wouldn't starve now.

The days were long and hard, and the girls lost track of time and place, stranded in a dark, lonely closed world. Most days were spent in long, cold silences with occasional meals. Both girls were immensely relieved that they still hadn't been "used for the pirates' amusement" yet. However, this relief soon came to an end on the fifth day after they were imprisoned. It happened after they were given their second slice of the day (they received about three or four, if they were lucky) with a glass of foul-tasting water.

After the girls had finished their "meals", the usual pirate came to retrieve their glasses. But along with him came Captain Johnson and three other men, all with the same, greedy, hungry look on their faces. The girls were instantly suspicious and alert.

"'Ello darlings," Johnson greeted them grimly, "We was 'opin youse'd be up for tha' little amusement we talked abou' before."

The girls looked at one another in terror. How could this be happening!"?

Without waiting for a reply, Johnson unlocked both their cells and dragged the girls over to the men, who, without further ado, began to tear the girls' clothes and grope at places. The girls resisted helplessly, unable to match the men's' strength.

Raquelle was doing anything to keep the filthy hands away from her chest, but the two men that were "using" her were too strong. Meanwhile, Maria was trying to bend down to reach her dagger, but every time she managed to duck down the pirates would pull her back up again. The game was getting a little too out of hand and when things were really extreme and Raquelle was considering screaming non-stop, even if she did get killed on the spot, another pirate, who the girls recognized as the man with the eye patch appeared. He was agitated and looked quite worried.

"Captain, Captain!" he cried, panting. "The ship's under attack, Cap'n!"

Johnson stopped tearing Maria's blouse and blinked. "What the devil are you on about?" he demanded impatiently. "Which flag d' we have up on main mast?"

"The Jolly Roger, sir," replied the pirate.

"And they still continue to attack us?"

"Aye, sir."

Johnson paused to think for a moment. Then he said, "From where do they attack us?"

"The starboard side, Cap'n."

"Counterattack, then. Come about and run out the guns, preparing for battle. Stay aboard, though. We'll chase 'em off soon enough. Now move!"

"Aye, sir," the patch man said, running back to the give the orders to the crew.

"Dwight!" cried Johnson, as soon as the man had left.

"Aye?" he replied, running back.

"What ship is attacking ours, do ye know?"

"No, sir. I haven't seen it before, but some of the crew seem to know it."

"Describe it to me. Quick!"

"Er…wide deck, Jolly Roger flag, black sails…"

"What? Black sails?"

"Aye, sir."

Johnson's eyes grew wide. "Back to the deck! Give the men me orders!" he barked. Then, turning to the other pirates, he ordered, "Lock the prisoners in the cells, then join the others. Now!" Then he ran back up to the deck, where a bell was ringing and Dwight's voice rang out: "All hands! All hands on deck!"


	4. Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any characters or settings related to it. I do, however, own any original characters in this story.

Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so, so, so, soooooo sorry it took so long to update, but I repeat, during this lifetime, I plan not to abandon ANY of my stories, even if it takes ages to update. Well, now the fourth chapter is here, so….enjoy! And review! Oh, and PS: this chapter is a little shorter than usual (sorry!).

**Chapter Four**

Escape

The girls were put back in their cells, looking at one another in confusion. The men that had put them there immediately left, agitated and worried.

As soon as they were gone, Maria reached for her dagger and began to hack away at the cell lock. Raquelle rolled her brown eyes, annoyed. "Why didn't you think of that before?" she demanded at Maria. "I had thought of it ever since we were locked in this bloody place. I were simply waitin' for the opportune moment," Maria replied, continually hacking at the lock. It was gradually becoming looser and looser.

"C'mon, c'mon," Maria muttered. In a last desperate push, the lock fell off completely and the cell door swung open. Maria hurried out of it and undid Raquelle's lock in a matter of seconds. Replacing the dagger, she pulled out her fang necklace and shoved it in Raquelle's creamy hand.

"I dunno what's about to happen, bu' I trust ye. Keep it safe for me, please," she requested briskly. Raquelle nodded, grateful to be free at last. She tied the necklace around her neck.

"Now, c'mon! Stay close behind me," Maria whispered, grabbing her pistol and cutlass from where the pirates had hung them up.

The two girls hurried up the ladder to the main deck, where already a mad battle was raging between the two pirate ships. Pirates were crossing blades noisily all over the deck, and the occasional cannon ball was fired on either ship. It was absolute chaos.

At first the girls were blinded by the sun's radiant glow, having not seen proper light for the past five days. Then slowly they could make out their surroundings. The pirates were so absorbed into their own battle that for a long time no one even noticed the two young girls standing there, Raquelle looking tired and sacred, Maria, confident and fierce.

The girls tried to quietly sneak to the starboard side, facing the invading ship. Maria grabbed a loose rope from the rigging and turned to Raquelle, "Grab one of these ropes, and swing after me. And please…try not to scream." Without waiting for a reply, she swung on the rope and landed perfectly on the deck of the other ship. She waved to Raquelle, urging her on.

Raquelle was terrified from the moment her fingers touched the rope, but even so, she did her best to wring body tightly around it. She took a step back, then ran forward in full swing. The rope swung forward at an alarming rate, and even when it hovered over the other ship, Raquelle was still too afraid to jump. The rope swung back and forth, and still Raquelle shut her eyes, clinging on to the rope for dear life.

Eventually the rope came to a stop, but not because it was done swinging. Raquelle opened her eyes and looked down, surprised by the sudden stop. But at the end of the rope was Johnson, ginning madly and trying to grasp her foot. Raquelle squealed and tried to climb upwards, but she only slid farther down., her hands stinging. Johnson continued to leer at her, and now he spoke in that awful, raspy bald voice of his, "Where be ye off ter, me beauty? Surely you mustn't leave so soon. Our fun was just gettin' started." His groin spread out even wider as his hands managed to finally grab hold of Raqulle's foot. But Raquelle was suddenly overcome with rage, pure rage as she had never felt in her life. It triumphed over her fear, and she kicked Johnson fully on the face, surprising even herself. The rope swung fully again, as Johnson let go, his pudgy hands clasping his face in agony.

Raquelle was sure she would jump now, courage filling her heart, but she jumped a moment too soon and her hands grasped the side of the invading ship, clinging on but slowly slipping.

Maria had been watching the whole scene and she was proud of her friend. She hurried over to the side and grabbed Raquelle's hand just as it slipped from the railing. She pulled her up, into a much needed hug. The girls started into each other's eyes, glad to be alive.

Then behind them a pirate from the new ship seemed to finally notice them. "Blimey!" he cried, "Where did you lasses come from?" He took in their torn clothes and pale faces, scorched with fear. He seemed genuine, even kind. Raquelle's sincere eyes stared into his surprised ones. "We were held captive in the other ship. This is our only chance of escape. Please…_please_ help us," she pleaded. The man studied the girls for a while, then seemed to make up his mind.

"Go down that central hatch there, and wait down there. After this battle's done fer, I'll come collect youse and we'll talk to the captain," he instructed. "Thank you!" Raquelle cried, happy for the first time in days. She grabbed Maria's hand and dragged her along to the hatch. She hastily opened it and climbed down into the small room beneath it, Maria following closely behind her. They closed the hatch and sat down in two rickety wooden chairs, the only furniture in the room besides the table.

The two girls breathed deeply as relied swept through them. For the moment they seemed mildly safe.

After what seemed like an eternity, the noise of clashing and shooting gradually died down, and a moment later the hatch was opened and the man who had talked to them before climbed down into the room with them. He half-smiled as he spoke, "Well, the other ship has retreated, and we haven't lost any of our men. I think it's about time you meet the cap'n, ladies."

The girls nodded and stood up to follow him up to the deck. "Oh, an' by the way, me name's Red," he said as he climbed back up. The girls followed him, not really knowing what to expect as they clobbered back onto the main deck.


End file.
